Normal?
by Ivy000
Summary: Five friends visit the Central Park Zoo. Seems normal, right? Add in some commando penguins, dancing lemurs, and diabolical dolphins, and normal just got pretty weird.
1. Chapter 1

_**Another story! This way, I won't be stuck with unlucky 13. Ok, anyway, please R & R!**_

_**Yew: Or I'll kill you!**_

_**Ivy: No! Don't! Just because you're the bad side of Ivy000, doesn't mean you have to be evil!**_

_**Yew: Um, yeah, it kinda does. **_

_**Um... Never mind. Ignire the voices in my head and enjoy the story.**_

Elizabeth brushed her thick red hair, staring into her own violet eyes. She threw the brush into her hair things drawer, slamming the drawer and rushing downstairs. Sliding down the banister, she was just in time for her father to wave goodbye and her mom to leave, leaving her in charge of the house.

Her 15 year old twin, James, waved to her with one hand while supporting their two-year-old brother Lander on his shoulder. 11 year old Peyton was trying to get 3 year old Mark and 5 year old Jason to eat their food, while 9 year old Adam listened to an iPod.

She looked at James.

"I gotta go... School..."

James made an exasperated sighing noise, but his grin showed he was only teasing.

"I'll take care of these rascals myself. See ya, sis!"

Elizabeth grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, running to the bus stop. The 'bus stop' was actually an overgrown tree, where her friend Kaolyn's mom picked her up for their homeschooling group. Today was the monthly field trip: a trip to the Central Park Zoo.

Elizabeth smiled. A chance to test out her newest gadget: An animal translator! She could understand animals, and when she set the dial, she could speak their language! She had four others, one for each of her friends.

Kaolyn's mom's old beaten up minivan pulled up, and Elizabeth got in.

"Hello, Elizabeth!" Said Kaolyn's mom.

"Hey, Zabbie!" Said Kaolyn. Kaolyn was a Chinese girl who had been adopted by her parents when she was four. Exactly nine years ago.

"Happy birthday, Kaolyn! You're finally a teenager!"

Kaolyn grinned as Zabeth got in.

"Yep! Where's my present?"

Zabeth handed her the animal translator and a charm bracelet with a charm shaped like China hanging on it.

"Wow, thanks! Um... What is it?"

"An animal translator. You can talk to animals."

Kaolyn picked up the device, which was a tiny earpiece. Zabeth handed her another charm, which was a tiny remote.

"To control it."

She clarified. Kaolyn grinned.

"This is awesome! Thanks Zabeth!"

At the next stop, their friend Jenessa got in. She had a green hoodie on that hid her golden curls and a short jean skirt. She wore that skirt everywhere, so much that Zabeth joked that her nickname, Jene, should be spelt Jean.

"Hey guys! Happy birthday Kaolyn! Here." She tossed Kaolyn a charm for her bracelet, shaped like a dog whistle.

"It actually works, so you can call Rex with it."

Kaolyn's dog, Rex, would never come when called.

"Thanks Jene! It's great!"

Zabeth handed another earpiece to Jene, explaining how it worked.

At the next stop, Melissa Jones clambered in. The tiny eleven-year-old had really long black hair and dark blue eyes. She was the morale of the group, keeping everyone's spirits up.

"Hey, guys! Happy birthday Kaolyn!"

She handed a charm shaped like a penguin to Kaolyn, in honor of their favorite TV show. The Penguins of Madagascar.

Zabeth explained the animal translator to her and handed over an earpiece.

At the final stop, a twelve-year-old boy named Adison hopped in. He had a brown crew cut and green eyes.

He smiled shyly and handed Kaolyn a gift wrapped present.

"Happy birthday Kaolyn."

Unbeknownst to Kaolyn, Abison had a major crush on her. He was just too shy to tell her.

The charm was a tiny flower, delicately shaped and pressed into shape. Each detail was painstakingly crafted.

"Wow Abison! Where'd you get this?"

Abison smiled again.

"I made it myself."

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Kaolyn in shock. "This must've taken you forever! Thanks!" Kaolyn gave a one-armed hug to Abison. Abison smiled and was secretly celebrating while Zabeth explained the animal-translator to him.

Finally, they pulled up at the zoo. A grumpy zoo employee stood there.

"Welcome to the zoo. Please, have a great time." She said in a monotone voice.

"Yo, Alice! We have a penguin problem!" A male voice crackled to life from an old walkie-talkie. Alice sighed heavily and walked off.

"Welcome," Said Kaolyn's mom dramatically, "to the Central Park Zoo!"


	2. Chapter 2

_**New chapter, enjoy, blah blah blah, R & R.**_

Jenessa swung herself out of the van, her black boots hitting the hard pavement. She brushed a stray blonde curl behind her ear and headed over to the path. The other four followed, turning their animal translators on. They could now speak and understand any language.

Melissa bounced excitedly, talking about the wonderful animals they would see. Zabeth was talking to Kaolyn, who was talking about her voices.

Kaolyn said that she had three voices in her head; Lissie, Chrissy, and Rissi. The bad, good, and crazy sides of herself.

Jene walked over to the penguin exhibit, looking for the small black and white birds. She peered closer, but they were nowhere to be found.

Shrugging, she headed over to the lemurs. A new plaque had been put up, naming the lemurs.

RINGTAIL-FRED

MOUSE LEMUR-GEORGIE

OTHER-MARK

Three lemurs looked sceptically at the sign.

"Fred?" Said the ringtail sceptically. "Fred?! If I am being Fred, I must at least be KING Fred! But I'm not Fred! I'm KING JULIAN!"

Jene laughed at the egotistical lemur. Julian looked around.

"Why is that human staring at me? She has weird hair. Has she heard of a brush?"

"Hey, my hair is fine!" Yelled Jene.

Julian gasped.

"Did... Did the human just..."

"You bet I did, ya little wanna-be king! My hair is perfectly fine!"

Julian gasped again, then proceeded to freak out.

"MAURICE!" He yelled. A squat and chubby lemur headed over.

"Yes, King Julian?"

"Maurice, dat human can understand me!"

Maurice sighed.

"That human cannot understand you. Watch." Maurice turned around and waved. "Hey human! My name's Maurice, what's yours?"

Jene laughed. This gadget was so cool.

"Hi Maurice! I'm Jenessa. You can call me Jene."

Maurice's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"SKIPPER!" He yelled as loud as he could. "WE NEED YOU!"

Skipper was currently on a mission, and was just getting back. The penguins were exhausted and very sleepy, especially Private. He was practically dead on his feet.

When they got back, Skipper was startled by Maurice loudly shouting his name. He headed toward the lemur habitat, yawning as he said

"Move out, men!"

When they got there, a girl with blonde curly hair was TALKING to the lemurs.

"I take offense to my hair being called messy! Your fur isn't much better, you little fur ball!"

Skipper stared in amazement as the human insulted the ringtail lemur, who was looking more and more indignant at each remark. Soon, the two were firing insults at eachother, Mort was trying to creep up on the king's feet and Maurice was staring in disbelief.

As the match went on, Zabeth ran up with the other three kids.

"Guys! Emergency! Alice forgot about us and closed the zoo! We're stuck here, and there's an earthquake coming so we are trapped until everything's over!"

Abison looked frightened, and stepped closer to Zabeth. He was glad that he was with his friends, but what about his parents? When they found out he was late...

*flashback, Abison's POV*

I step carefully through the threshhold of our house, wincing at the smell of stale food and beer, smoke drifting out and making me cough. My mom is on the couch, watching her television program. She absentmindedly throws a shoe at me.

"You're late, scum. Your father will hear about this. In the meantime..."

She gets up and grabs me. The rest is a blur of pain and blood, and even more when Father gets home. I scream...

*flashback fades, regular POV*

Zabeth loosens Abison, who is clinging to her.

"Hey Bion, not so tight. Hey, don't worry. We'll protect you."

The older girl ruffled his hair. She had developed extreme motherly instincts, being an acomplished babysitter and the eldest of her brothers.

Abison flinched at her touch. She had unknowingly touched one of many bruises.

Zabeth parts his hair and looks at the bruise.

"What's that from?"

"I... Fell." said Abison unconvincingly. Zabeth gave him a sceptical look, but let it slide. She was not oblivious to the mysterious injuries he had been racking up.

"Hey Kaolyn, where's your mom?"

Kaolyn shrugged.

"I don't know, she disappeared as we went in the gates."

Zabeth frowned.

"Come to think of it... Shouldn't we have at least seen someone we know at the zoo?"

The group huddled together, the reality of their situation sinking in.


End file.
